Flushing tank



.H. L. PHILLIPS. 'nusmua TANK. APPLICATION FILED APR. 1,1921.

1,417,280. Etented May 23, 1922.

figmer P4121 17:

Awewroa "stair vars HOB [ER L. PHILLIPS, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, OF ONE-THIRD Ti) CHESTER PHILLIPS, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

FLUSHING TANK,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented llllay 23, 1922..

Application filed. April 1, 1921. Serial No. 457,684.

To all LUZLONZ- it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Homes L. PHILLIPS, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Bend, in the county. of St. Joseph new and useful Improvements in Flushing Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

. The invention relates to flushing tanks oil the type used in connection withwater closets, and has for its object to provide a device of this character wherein a valve is unseated by a cam carried by a rockable shaft, which shaft is rocked by a member carried by an operating lever upon the upward movement of the operating lever and maintained in rocked position until the operating lever approaches its lower position at which time the shaft and cau'i are rocked to initial position and the valve reseated. Also to provide a checking and retarding device for retarding the operating lever in its return to lowered position, said checking and retarding device comprising a piston disposed in a cylinder and having pivotally connected thereto, and to the operating lever a piston rod. The piston forms means for compressing air within the cylinder thereby retarding the downward movement of the operating lever, also to provide valve means carried by the cylinder, by means of which valve the time of return of the operating lever to lowered position may be regulated.

A. further object is to provide means whereby the water flows from a reservoir of the tank, a portion of the water will be deflected from the main column into an auxiliary chamber located below the valve and will slowly flow from said chamber after a flushing operation and form a seal within the hopper.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in the combination and ar angement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawlngs, descrlbed and claimed, it being understo'od'that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings 1 Figure 1 is a side elevation of the flushing tank showing the operating mechanism.

. Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the flush tank showing the operating mechanlsm in front elevation.

Figure 31s a detail perspective view of the V cam and valve stem yoke. and State of Indiana, have lnvented certain Figure 1- is a detail sectional view through the lower end of the cylinder, showing the valve for regulating the speed of down ward movement of the piston within the cylinder.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a casing and 2 an auxiliary chamber therein. Extending upwardly through t-lleilllXlllflly chamber 2 and centrally of the caslng 1 1s a vertically disposed discharge passage 3, which discharges into the pipe 1 extending bracket 13, therefore it will be seen that the valve Swill properly seat at all times during an upward and downward movement thereof. Extending downwardly from the valve 8 is a valve stem 14;, the lower end of which terminates in a U-shaped yoke 15, which yoke arches a rockable shaft 17 and a cam 18, the arms of the yoke 15 are vertically slottedas at 19 for the reception of the rockable shaft. \Vhen the valve 8 is in closedposition as shown in Figure 2, cam 18 is in down position as shown in Fig -ure 3, and when the rockable shaft 17 rocked in the direction of the arrow (6, cam 18 forces the yoke 15 upwardly and unscats the valve 8, thereby allowing the water within the reservoir 9 to pass downwardly through the discharge passage 3 to the hopper 5, During the passage of the water from the reservoir 9 through the discharge passage 3, a portion of the water is deflected by the deflecting vanes 20 into the auxiliary chamber 2 where it is collected until the valve 8 is seated after a flushing operation and slowly passes from the auxiliary chamber 2 through the aperture 21, pipe 4; and to the hopper where it forms a seal for preventing fowl air from soil pipe, not shown, from rising into the room.

Extending outwardly from the side of the casing 1 is a bracket 22, and to said bracket is secured a cylinder 23, in which is vertically movable a piston 24 to the upper end of which is secured as at 25, a piston rod 26. The upper end of the piston rod is secured pivotally as at 27, to an operating lever 28, which operating lever is pivotally mounted as at 29 in an upwardly extending arm of the bracket 22, and is normally held in down position as shown in Figure 1, by means of a coiled spring 80. The lower end of the cylinder 23 is provided with a discharge opening 31, through which air is discharged when the piston 24moves downwardly, there being a screw 32 cooperating with said discharge opening whereby the discharge of air from the cylinder 23 may be regulated, thereby allowing the speed of return of the operating lever 28 from upper to lower p0- sition under the influence of coiled spring 30 to be varied, sufficiently to allow the emptying of the reservoir 9 before the valve 8 is receded.

The rockable shaft 17 is horizontally disposed and rockably mounted in bearings of the casing 1 and has one of its ends extending outwardly and terminating in a right angularly disposed arm 33, which arm extends downwardly and forwardly and is preferably located outside of the operating lever 28. Rockable shaft 17 is also provided with an upwardly and rearwardly extending rigid arm 34. Extending outwardly from the side of the operating lever 28 and underlying the arm 33 of the rockable shaft 17 is an arm 35, which arm is rigidly carried by the operating lever, and forms means, whereby when the operating lever 28 is forced upwardly to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1, the arm 33 is also forced upwardly from the sliding action and engagement therewith of the arm 35, until the arm 33 assumes the dotted line position as shown in Figure 1. During this action the arm 34 moves downwardly and slightly forwardly, and also during this action the rockable shaft 17 and its cam 18 has been rocked sufficiently to force the yoke 1.5 upwardly and the valve 8 upwardly, thereby allowing the water within the reservoir to flow through the discharge passage 3. hen the operating lever 26 has reached the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 and is released, coiled spring 30 will force the operating lever downwardly. However, during its downward movement the lever is retarded by the compression of the air within the cylinder 23 and the slow escape through the air port 31. The retarded return of the operating lever 28 will allow water from the reservoir in suflicient quantity to perform a flushing operation to pass through the dis- .charge passage 3. hen the operating lever 28 reaches its down position, the arm 35 engages the arm 34; and rocks the rock shaft 17 and cam' 18 sufficiently to allow the weight of the valve 8 and yoke and also the arm 33 to complete the rocking action for returning the cam- 18 to normal positionshown in Figure 3.

From the above it will be seen that a water closet flushing tank cont-rolling mechanism is provided, which is positive in its operation and one wherein the retarding action may be varied. 7 It will also be seen that efiicient means is provided whereby a portion of the column of water passing from the tank is deflected to an auxiliary chamber where it is collected and allowed to slowly flow tothe hopper for forming a seal withinthe hopper.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is g 1. The combination with a fiushingtank having a vertically movable controlling valve, of means for moving said'valve vertically and delaying: the receding thereof, said means comprising a rockable shaft, means carried by said rockable shaft for moving the valve vertically when it is rocked, an operating lever to the outside of the tank and normally held down by a spring, said lever being disposed over the rockable shaft, an arm carried by the rockable shaft and disposed-adjacent the operat ing lever, a bracket carried by the operating lever and disposed beneath the arm of the rockable shaft and so positioned that when the operating lever is moved upwardly it will engage the arm of the rockable shaft and force the same upwardly to a substantially vertical position, an arm carried by the rockable shaft and so positioned thereon that when the operating lever reaches its lower position the arm carried thereby will engage the same, "and cause the rockable shaft to rock in reversedirection.

2. The combination with a flush tank having a vertically movable controlled valve which is delayed in its downward movement, of means for operating said valve, said means comprising a rockable shaft'disposed below the valve and provided witha cam, a yoke connected to the valve and arching the same and the rockable shaft, an arm carried by the rockable shaft, an operating lever pivoted to the side of the tank, said operating lever being provided with an arm whereby when said operating lever is forced u wardly, said arm will be moved upward y thereby rocking the rockable shaft, a second arm carried by the rockable shaft and so positioned that when :theoperatinglever reaches its lower position it will gauge said arm and cause the rockable shaft to rock in the opposite directionand means whereby the speed of return to lower position of the operating lever may be regulated.

3. The combination with a flush tank having a vertically movable controlling valve whichisdelayed in its downward movement and operated by a rockable shaft, of means for rocking said shaft, said means comprising a pivoted lever, an angular arm carried by the rockable shaft and disposed beneath the lever, an arm carried by the operating lever and disposed beneath the arm and so positioned that when the lever is forced upwardly, said rockable shaft arm will be moved upwardly to substantially a vertical position, a second arm carried by the rockable shaft and so positioned that when the operating lever approaches its lower position, it will be engaged by the arm of the operating lever thereby rocking the shaft in reverse direction and air cylinder and piston means for retarding the return of the operating lever to lower position.

4. The combination with a flushing tank having a valve controlling the outflow therefrom, of means actuable for unseating and holding the valve unseated, an operating lever adapted to actuate said means, means for slowly returning said lever to normal position, and means carried by the lever acting upon the valve actuating means when the lever reaches its normal position to permit the valve to seat.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HOMER L. PHILLIPS. 

